Personal automotive vehicles have evolved over several decades to require less attention from a human driver during vehicle operation. For instance, modern automobiles may be equipped with headlights that self-illuminate in low lighting conditions, windshield wipers that self-activate during rainy weather, or climate-control systems that automatically regulate the temperature of the passenger cabin, to name a few examples. Emerging technologies now enable automobiles to continuously monitor surrounding road and traffic conditions, have real-time knowledge regarding the global position of the vehicle, and to control vehicle acceleration, braking, and navigation based on this information. The trend is toward fully autonomous vehicles, in which little to no attention to vehicle operation is required from vehicle occupants once a destination for the vehicle is determined. In such vehicles, vehicle occupants are free to turn their attention to matters other than driving, such as work-related tasks, entertainment, or relaxation.
During the transition from traditional driver-operated vehicles to fully autonomous vehicles, reconfigurable passenger cabins may be employed to accommodate both a driver mode and an autonomous mode. With driver attention to vehicle operation not required in the autonomous mode, the driver may wish to assume a different or more comfortable seating position than the one required during traditional vehicle operation, in which driver feet must be near the accelerator and brake pedal and driver arms must be able to reach and turn the steering wheel, operate turn signals, etc. In some cases, the driver may wish to engage in activities normally reserved for the home or office, such as personal computer use, reading, writing, studying, etc. Many of such activities require or can be more easily performed when a space such as a desk is provided for distributing materials in front of the person and/or for resting arms or other objects on.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,607,726 to Orlo et al. discloses a seat back tray with a tray top that pivots with respect to the back of a folded passenger seat to change the orientation of the tray top so that it extends further toward the driver seat. The seat back tray includes a non-pivoting tray top with a track formed therein to help guide the pivoting tray top during movement. A scissor-life moves the seat back tray with respect to the back of the folded seat. It the pivoted position, the tray top is rotated by 90 degrees to overlies part of the center console, but does not extend over the driver seat.